The Hunt
by Hrunting Leviathan
Summary: The Hunt for the Olympians has begun. What will the Demigods do when their Parents, thought to be invincible, are suddenly picked off one by one? How will they combat this threat? And who the heck is this blind man that suddenly appears in Camp, claiming to know all? Rated M for mature themes and language. Probably should mention I love OCs.
1. Chapter 1

The moment I walked into the room I knew something was up. A square table had been set up, with four seats placed around it. Currently, none of the seats were occupied, but someone was perched on the side of the table.

"Hey Samael." Michael nodded at me, his arms crossed. "You were called in as well?"

"I guess so." I replied. "Any clue what this is about?" Michael shrugged.

"Beats me. Central didn't say why, only that I needed to get here as fast as possible."

"Same." I replied, taking the seat on the Eastern side of the table. "This is an odd turn of events."

"You're telling me." Michael walked over and took a seat on the North-facing side. "Branch heads are seldom required to report to Central. Especially you."

"It should be fine. I left Camiel in charge." Michael nodded. Camiel was a powerful Hunter in his own right, more then capable of leading the Eastern Branch in my absence.

Both of us turn when the door slides open. Gabriel, the head of the Western branch, and Raphael, the head of the Southern branch, step in.

"Oh. So you guys are here as well." Michael stood up to greet the two ladies. Gabriel walked over and embraced Michael.

Raphael however, made a beeline for me. Stopping before me, she inclining her head slightly.

"Hello Samael." Raphael said, greeting me.

I don't answer. The familiar haze around my mind is lifting. I reached into my pocket, fumbling around until I find what I'm looking for.

The other Branch heads silently watched as I pulled out a container.

With slightly trembling hands I break open the top, before pouring the contents of the container into my mouth. I begin to chew, not even wincing at the bitter taste of the pills.

Immediately, the haze returns, along with a feeling of relief.

"Hi Raphael." I replied, placing the now empty container back in my pocket. "Sorry about that. I needed to-"

"I understand." Raphael placed her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it." I smiled.

"Thank you." Out of all the Branch heads, I was closest to Raphael. Michael often told me I should push out relationship further, but I was content with our friendship. Raphael smiled back at me, before moving to her seat.

"So…" Gabriel was currently reclining in her chair. "Does anyone know why we're here? I am fairly busy in the West, with all our enemies being there and all."

"I was wondering the same thing." Raphael admitted. "I had been in the hospital when I received the summons. I hope to return as soon as possible to treat the patients."

"I have troops to train." Michael said simply. All three Branch Heads turned their gaze to me.

"I…I have my projects." I spoke, after a moments pause. The three heads nodded, understanding immediately. "Though, I too am curious about the reason behind our summons."

"Then allow me to answer them." A familiar voice said, seemingly from nowhere. Suddenly, a tiny person appeared on the table. "Hello Branch Heads." Upon hearing the voice, all four of us stood up and bowed. "Please, sit down." The voice sounded embarrassed.

We all did as he asked. The small person was silent for a moment, before beginning to speak.

"Now, I'm sure you're all curious as to why you were summoned here." A collective chorus of agreement came from the Branch Heads. The hologram waited for it to die down before continuing. "The reason is simple. It is time for a new Crusade."

Silence filled the room as we tried to digest this new piece of information. I myself was unsure how to react. The first one to break the silence was, of course, Michael.

"A Holy War? You wish to start a new Holy War?" The hologram nodded.

"Correct, Leader Michael. As of now, the Higher-ups have decided to wage war against the Pagans. For too long we have tolerated them. Recently however, they have gone too far. Too much damage has been caused, some of which has affected our own people. Thus, it has been decided that you are to destroy them."

Michael nodded, satisfied with the hologram's answer. Not surprising, considering he was in charge of military might. For him, a Holy War was perfect. I knew however, that one person in this room would definitely object to this.

"I refuse." Raphael said simply. As a Healer, Raphael firmly believed in peace over war. The taking of life, to her, was the ultimate sin. "I will not allow my followers to partake in such brutality."

"Leader Raphael-" The hologram tried to speak, but Raphael cut him off with a glare.

"I agreed to become the Southern Branch Head only to protect and heal as many as I can. While I may, with a sorrow heart, consent to the slaying of demons, I will never consent to the killing of Man, whether a heathen or a believer."

I could see the hologram struggling to think of what to say. I knew that it was a lost cause. Raphael was a pacifist, someone who refused to harm. She would use diplomacy instead of violence. And we loved her for that.

But I knew that diplomacy was no use for this enemy. For I had once met them. And still bore scars from that encounter.

"…very well." The hologram finally spoke. "Leader Raphael, you and your followers will not be required to fight in this War. However, will you at least offer your healing to our troops?"

"I will never turn an injured person away, whether friend or foe. All who require healing, I welcome with open arms." Raphael answered. The hologram nodded, satisfied.

"How about you two, Leader Gabriel and Leader Samael? Have you any doubts about your mission?" The hologram turned to face me. "Well, Leader Samael?"

"I have no qualms. The Witch Hunt will participate." In the corner of my eye, I could see Raphael's face fall at my declaration.

"Very good. And how about you, Leader Gabriel?"

"The West will lend their support." Gabriel replied. "I see no problem with waging war."

"Very well." The hologram sounded satisfied. "Leader Raphael, you are dismissed from this war meeting. Leaders Michael, Gabriel and Samael, please remain seated. Your orders will be given."

Raphael immediately stood up and wordlessly left the room. Gabriel, Michael and myself remained seated, waiting for the hologram to continue speaking.

The moment the door shut behind Raphael, the hologram suddenly disappeared, only to suddenly reappear, human-sized, in Raphael's chair.

"Now then." The hologram said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "Let us begin the war planning."

—

**Two Days Later. In a Chateau off the coast of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. **

Whenever I was nervous, I cleaned my weapons. Today was no exception.

In front of me lay a variety of blades.

One USN MK3 MOD 0 Combat knife, acquired from the same company that supplied the US Navy.

Two modified Philippine Karambits, forged by a metalworker in Japan.

An array of throwing knives, also made by the previously mentioned metalworker.

A set of thin throwing darts, each laced with a potent nerve toxin.

A pair of modified combat sickles, their hilts shortened to allow for concealed carrying.

And finally, a sheathed Japanese _wakazashi_, made centuries ago by an infamous swordsmith and modified by master blade smiths to fit my specifications. Of all my weapons, this one was the only one capable of actually killing my target.

However, my order was only to send a message to the opposition, with a strict emphasis on keeping the target alive. Thus, the _wakazashi _was for security purposes, in the off chance that something went wrong in the mission.

I doubted anything would go wrong. The enemy was completely unaware that I existed, much less of my intentions.

After about twenty minutes, I finally finished polishing my set of throwing knives.

"I need a drink." I muttered, putting the last knife on the table. "Maybe some lemon juice."

"Is wine fine?" A male voice said from behind, startling me. I would have normally sensed someone entering the room, but I had been so engrossed in my cleaning and sharpening that I had failed to hear him come in. "We are in a vineyard after all."

"Yeah, wine is good." I replied, turning around. "Pour yourself a glass and sit down Cassian."

Cassian Gray inclined his head towards me. One of the leaders of Witch Hunt under me, Cassian was powerful. For a human.

"Thank you Leader." I smiled and waved my hand.

"No need for the formalities Cassian. Just call me Samael."

"As you wish, Samael." Despite his words, I saw Cassian relax. He pulled up a seat and sat down, before handing me my glass of wine. I waited as he poured himself a glass. "To the Crusade." Cassian said, raising his glass.

"To the Crusade." I echoed, our glasses clinking. I took a sip of the wine. "Not bad. Swiss?"

"Well, we are in Switzerland." Cassian replied, placing his now half-empty glass on the table. "Though I suppose I could have brought some French wine from across the Lake…"

"Nah its good." I replied, taking another sip. "To me, they all taste the same anyways."

"Don't let a Swiss man hear you say that." Cassian said, half-jokingly. "You might die before the Crusade even starts."

"That would be bad." I replied, a tight smile on my face. "I'd prefer to die with a sword in my hand then at the hands of a drunk vineyard owner. Imagine how Michael would laugh!"

Cassian leaned his head back and laughed. After a moment, I too begun laughing. It wasn't even funny, but the weight of the task in front of us made us all slightly hysterical.

Suddenly, I felt the fog begin to lift. I immediately scrambled for my pills. Cassian watched as I poured the capsules into my mouth and crunched them to dust.

"…how is it, with the stress and all? You coping?" I nodded.

"The stress makes it worse. I had to increase the dosage by around threefold. But I'm doing alright." I reached for another package of pills. "Though for the mission, I'm suppose to cut it down to half my regular amount. I need access to my powers." Cassian nodded, but I could see the worry on his face.

"You think you'll be alright?"

"No clue." Seeing Cassian's face, I quickly added. "OK, that came out wrong. I should be able to hold my concentration long enough to complete the task. Though I'll probably need to tranquillise myself immediately afterwards. Afraid you'll need to help me with that."

Cassian stared at me for a while, trying to figure out if I'm joking. Realizing I wasn't, he sighed. I reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry. It won't kill me. Just shoot me with about a dozen elephant darts and I'll be sleeping like a baby."

"I know…but do we really have to do this? I mean, can't you function without…" Cassian pointed at the tablets.

"You know what happens if I don't." I murmured. "I may be fine, but those around me…"

"…You're right." Cassian said after some hesitation. "I apologise for that. I was being selfish."

"It's fine." I replied, pulling my hand back and reaching for my drink. "I understand that you're worried for me and I'm grateful for that. But sacrifices have to be made. Better my mind then your lives."

Cassian nodded, his face showing that he was still unconvinced. Inside, I sighed. _I have such good subordinates. Sometimes I wish they didn't care for me so much. _

"Anyways, I better get to sleep." I said, standing up and placing my now-empty wine glass on the table. "I have a big day tomorrow. Night Cassian."

"Night Leader." Cassian replied, his eyes looking out the window and at the lake. "See you tomorrow."

—

**Paris, France. Sometime in the evening. **

The club was nice. Upscale and suave, it catered to only the rich and famous Parisians. A plethora of expensive cars were parked in the club parking lot, each one easily worth a small fortune.

As I turned around the corner, I could feel the eyes of the pedestrians on me. Not surprising, considering my attire. I was dressed in a black leather biking outfit, a black helmet covering my face. My bike, a modified Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR, was also black. All in all, I made quite a sight, especially since I was barreling down the road at nearly 100 miles an hour.

Nearing the club, I slowed down, making sure to skid for the last twenty meters before stopping directly in front of the entrance. I immediately stepped off the bike, feeling the eyes of every single person outside the club. The smoke bellowing from my tires probably helped catch their attention.

Taking extra care, I slowly pulled my helmet off, revealing my hair and face. I could feel the gaze of the pedestrians intensify. Not surprising, considering I had taken my True form. Silvery grey hair, angular features, a thin scar running across my left eye. It was my eyes however, that attracted the most attention.

My left eye was a silvery grey color, the same as my hair. My right eye however, was blue, with a gold ring around my pupil. I seldom took this appearance, as its highly unusual nature meant I was the center of attention no matter where I went.

For this mission however, the center of attention was exactly where I wanted to be. Standing next to my bike, I began to strip off my biking suit, revealing a smart casual outfit of a long-sleeved collared t-shirt and slacks. The color? Black of course.

I walked towards the club entrance; the pedestrian's parting before me. Upon reaching the entrance, I flashed the bouncer a smile, before sliding past him.

The inside of the club was pulsating. The ground, made entirely of hardened glass, had strobe lighting built underneath it, giving an unreal feel to the dancers. At the far end of the club, I could see what I appeared to be a man wearing a large cartoon bear head. Judging from the discs he was spinning, he was the DJ.

My target however, was not the dance floor, but the bar. Approaching the bar, I sat down at a barstool. On my left, two girls sat. I assumed they were twins, judging from their similar facial features and age. One twin was wearing a red and black dress, while the other wore a light blue and white dress. Both of them were surveying the club while playing with their drinks.

Despite their relaxed appearances, I could tell that they were on the lookout. Probably bodyguards of some sort.

_Not my problem. _I reminded myself, motioning to the barman.

"One Gin and tonic." The barman nodded, disappearing to make my drink. I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. Checking the screen, I note that I have three new messages.

_From: Cassian_

_Re: Target_

**The target is known to occupy Club BlackBeat on weekends. From our tracking, we've deduced that she normally arrives at around 8PM. She occupies the bar first, before making her way to the dance floor to look for a partner. Thus, I advise you wait for her arrival at the bar. **

I checked the clock on the top right hand corner of my screen. 7:49. A little over ten minutes till her expected arrival. Closing Cassian's message, I moved on to the next one.

_From: Central_

_Re: Target_

**Hello Leader Samael. I hope this message finds you well. As you may be aware, your first target has been located and the details sent to your Chateau. I'd just like to remind you not to kill your target. Please don't partake in unnecessary brutality. We want to send a clear message, not a corpse. **

I sighed. Another reminder. I understood why they'd be so cautious though. Since I had cut my dosage in half, the fog was dangerously thin. Even now, I could feel the urges beginning to claw at my mind. As it was, it took all my willpower not to go for the twins.

"Your drink sir." The voice of the bartender startled me, nearly causing me to drop my phone. I scrambled for some Euros, making sure to give him a hefty tip. The bartender smiled tightly at me, before moving off to serve another customer.

"Relax." I muttered to myself. "Think peaceful thoughts. Green fields. White clouds. Small fluffily animals."

_Oooo Small fluffily animals? We should kill them! _The moment I heard the voice, my hands were reaching for my pills. _No! Don't do that! I haven't been able to talk to you in ages!_

"That's cause I don't want to talk to you." I muttered under my breath. I had forgotten that I hadn't brought any of my pills on this mission. Mainly because I needed access to my powers. "Now shut up and let me concentrate."

_How can I just shut up? I'm you remember? The only reason you can hear me is because you want to hear me._

"I'm aware." Unfortunately, the voice was right. "But please, just let me finish this mission."

_Are you sure you don't need my help? I am after all, your real-._

"Yes I'm sure." Even as I said that, I could hear the uncertainty in my voice. "Stop influencing my thoughts damn it!"

_I'm not. You're the one who wants to meld. I'm just sitting here._

Before I could come up with some witty retort, my phone vibrated. It was one of my subordinates outside, signaling that the target had arrived. At the same time, I realized that save for the music, the club had gone silent. A musky smell entered my lungs, causing my body heat to rise slightly.

_Oh wow…that's some presence…Want me to give you a little immunity? _

"Shut it." I spat, before turning around. Upon seeing my target, it took all my willpower not to let my jaw drop.

_Yeah…hold on. _Suddenly, I felt an ice-cold bolt of energy go through my body, purging all feelings of lust. _There, much better._

"Thanks." I muttered unwillingly.

_No problem. Now if you'd just let me-_

"Quiet. She's coming over here." I tried to rearrange my facial features into what I hoped was a charming and flirty smile. This really was not my thing. Michael was so much better at this.

The target sauntered over and slid into the seat next to me.

"Vodka Martini please." She said huskily. The bartender immediately rushed to compile with her request. The target turned to face me. "Now then, what's your name?"

"Daemon." I replied, turning to face her. "Daemon Ferris."

"Nice to meet you Daemon." The target smiled, placing her hand on top of mine. "My name is Aphrodite."

* * *

**Hi!**

** I'm back again. During my (relatively) long absence, I've come to the conclusion that I really suck at long stories involving deep character development. So, I've decided to write a new story that allows me to develop characters but not to the point where I start to struggle about what to write. This will be a 1st person perspective story that will swap between multiple perspectives. Those who have read my previous (unfinished) fics [Sorry about that], may recognise some of the characters and themes. Let me assure you right now that they are quite different in this story. **

**Hopefully they will be more mature, as I too have matured since 72 Pillars. **

**Will there be romance? Probably. I think I've gotten better at it, but we'll see. **

**Will there be action? Definitely. With a name like "The Hunt", you can rest assured that it will be quite action-y. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy it. Comment and fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	2. Chapter 2

Naturally, before I begun this mission, I had been briefed. During my preparation in Switzerland, Central had sent me a file containing all the information they had on Aphrodite.

Abilities, appearances (well, as accurate as they could be. Apparently she changed form depending on who perceived her), known haunts and most importantly, weaknesses.

It was thanks to this file that I knew her taste in men. She liked suave and charming men, but with a hint of bad-boy. (No clue where Ares fitted in. Then again, most legends and myths from the Pantheons weren't exactly accurate.) I knew she liked her men to be forward, but not too forward.

With Gabriel and Cassian, I had spent hours practicing and memorizing scripts and possible scenarios. (Yes, I was that bad at this.) But despite all the practice, I was still utterly terrified.

"Aphrodite…like the Painting." I murmured, looking the target in the eye and trying to sound flirty. "A beautiful name for a beautiful person."

_God that was cheesy. _

As much as I hated the Voice, it was right. That line was really bad.

Aphrodite however, seemed to lap it up. "Didn't know you were a charmer as well." She purred, running her hand up my arm. "Where are you from, Daemon?"

"Annapolis, Maryland." I replied, following the cover story. "I go to school there."

_Bad move. Shouldn't have mentioned school. _Sure enough, I could see that Aphrodite was a little taken aback. Her hand, while not leaving my arm, stopped moving.

"Oh really? Where?" I could sense that she was weighing up options. Depending on how I answered would change the course of the mission.

_Hold on. I'll add some power to your voice. _I felt another surge of power. _There. Don't know how effective it is on the Goddess of Love, but we'll see. _

"USNA." I replied. Aphrodite's eyes widened, the interest renewed.

_Good save. All women love a sailor. _The voice said approvingly. _Though, the charm seems to be working. Weird._

"Oh so you're a sailor." Aphrodite purred again. "You must have a big boat then."

_…I don't even know how to react to that. _I had to agree with the Voice in this case. Of course, I had a follow up line prepared, but even I didn't want to use it.

"Why don't we find out?" I said, trying my best not to choke. Aphrodite's eyes flashed. "I'm staying not too far from here."

_Oh God that was painful. How can you live with yourself?_

"That sounds divine." Aphrodite slid her arm into mine. "Shall we go?"

"Sure." I replied, paying for Aphrodite's drink. "My bike's outside."

"That big black beast is yours? I'm liking you more and more every minute." Aphrodite whispered in my ear, before giving it a nibble.

_You're enjoying this aren't you? _The Voice sounded bemused.

"Shut the fuck up." I muttered as softly as possible, making sure Aphrodite couldn't hear me.

—

The ride back to the hotel was the most agonizing twenty minutes of my life. Aphrodite held me way too tight, her body too close to mine. I knew her intention, but thanks to the Voice's intervention, I was completely unaffected. I flashed back to my conversation during the war council.

**4 days previously. **

"Wait. Why do I have to do this?" I asked. "I suck with women."

"Well." The hologram scratched his head. "We considered Michael first, but then we realized he probably…couldn't keep it in his pants."

"Hey! I take offense at that!" Not surprisingly, not one bothered to protect Michael. "OK…maybe its true. But still!"

"And that's why you have to do it." The hologram said. "Because we are fairly sure you can complete the mission without getting..sidetracked."

**Back to present day. **

"Fucking Michael. Can't keep his thingie in his pants." I muttered a curse.

"Did you say something?" Aphrodite asked. We were crossing the street to my hotel and she had glued herself my arm. I could feel the murderous gazes of all the males on the street.

_If looks could kill, you'd have died a million times by now. _The Voice added, sounding amused. I was sorely tempted to swear at it, but this was a crucial part of the mission and I couldn't afford to screw up.

Walking through the doors to the hotel, I could see the concierge's jaw drop. Aphrodite gave him a smile and a wave.

"Almost there." I whispered, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button for the 10th floor.

"I'm looking forward to it." Aphrodite gave me what I suppose was a seductive smile, but I honestly didn't feel anything. "How big is the bath?"

"The bath?" I replied, not quite understanding her question. "Quite big, why?"

_Stupid. Read the signs damn it. _

Aphrodite giggled. "Do you like your girls to talk dirty?"

Oh. Now I got it. Despite the protection, I blushed. Aphrodite, seeing this, giggled even louder. "I finally got a reaction out of you!" Aphrodite placed her hand on my cheek. I could see her coming closer and closer.

_Ding. _Saved by the bell. I immediately pulled away, leaving Aphrodite hanging.

_You shit! You should have kissed her! Kiss her now! _The Voice was literally screaming in my mind. I could tell that Aphrodite was having second thoughts. I needed to move now.

"Fuck." I swore. "I'm going to kill them when I get back." I knew that if I thought too much about what I was about to do, I'd chicken out.

Acting on instinct, I pulled Aphrodite out of the lift, before swinging her around and embracing her tightly.

"Dae-" Before Aphrodite could say a word, I planted my lips firmly on hers. I could see her eyes widen in surprise, before feeling her relax in my arms. I kept my lips on hers for a few seconds, before breaking apart. To my surprise, Aphrodite's face was bright red. It hadn't even been that passionate of a kiss.

_Snuck some Power into it. She's absolutely smitten now, but doesn't know why. You owe me for this. It's pretty damn difficult duping the Goddess of Love. _I may not have liked the Voice, but it certainly knew when to intervene. _You need to take action now. Even if we're from a different Pantheon and use different types of Power, she'll eventually notice the spell words. _

"Sorry, my lady." I muttered. Shit, this sounded so bad. Even with the Power, this crappy acting really shouldn't be working. I knew that the spell words would probably last a few more minutes at most. "I couldn't help myself."

Aphrodite, thank God, was at a loss for words. She was grinning like a teenage girl on her first date.

_Errrrrr…may have overdone it with the spellwords. _I subconsciously rolled my eyes.

"Anyways, shall we go? My room is over here." I said, gently guiding Aphrodite forward. She followed, as compliant as a puppy.

_Huh...what did I cast on her? She was supposed to act as if she was in love, not like some doll. Weird. _

By the time we reached room 10-03, Aphrodite had regained her ability to speak. I could sense that some of the spellwords were wearing off. She was still charmed by me, but not as much as before.

I just needed to hold her attention a little longer, just long enough for her to lower her guard and get her into the room.

"Daemon, I don't think-" Aphrodite begun to speak, but I put my finger on her lips.

"Shhh. Don't think, just feel." This time however, the cheesy line didn't work. Instead of looking smitten, Aphrodite gave me a look of pity so strong that even I felt pathetic.

"I think I should go."

_Oh burn! _The Voice cried. _You just got rejected son!_

"But Aphrodite-" I begun, but this time it was me who got the finger on the lips.

"No buts Daemon. I'm much too old for you." Aphrodite gave me a smile, but I could sense the boredom in it. "Perhaps in a few years."

"…Damn it." I sighed, scratching my head. "I was hoping that I could get this done without resorting to violence." I could see Aphrodite react to this.

"If you think you can take me by for-" I laughed. I could feel the haze disappearing quickly. The urges were returning. And this time, I let them.

"Don't flatter yourself. I have no interest in your body." I laughed at Aphrodite's indignant look. "I bet that's the first time you've been told that."

The Voice was no longer giving me advice. Not that it needed to. I was the Voice. "It's been a while since I took this form. Has it already been three years?"

"Daemon?" Aphrodite asked, trying to fathom the situation. "No wait. You're not Daemon." Aphrodite's eyes widened as she realized something. "You charmspeaked me!"

"Indeed! Ironic isn't it?" I asked. I could feel my power returning to me. Around me, the air begun to glow with my power. "The Goddess of Love, falling for charmspeak."

Aphrodite's eyes shined with anger. "You dare-"

Whatever she was about to say was cut short when I, with incredible speed, drew my combat knife from its forearm sheath and drew it across her stomach. The blade simply scrapped off her skin, unable to cut through her celestial body. It did however, succeed in cutting her clothing.

Which, in Aphrodite's case, was probably worse.

"Teh. Seems like regular weapons don't work." I muttered, returning the knife into its sheath and drawing my sickles from their hidden sheaths. "These have Imperial Gold crafted into them. Should leave a mark, right?"

Aphrodite was trying to figure out what was going on. Her potential date, who she realized now was not completely human, had just attacked her with a combat knife. Upon failing to hurt her, he had discarded the knife, instead drawing two sickles that he claimed contained Imperial Gold. Aphrodite could sense that he was telling the truth.

The most important thing was, however, that her date had just cut her dress. Her bespoke dress crafted by a world famous designer.

"You bastard!" Aphrodite roared, launching herself forward.

I immediately blocked her scratch. To my surprise, the attack was a lot more forceful then I expected. I heard my sleeves; enhanced with defensive magic, tear to shreds from her attack.

"Woah!" I yelled, jumping backwards. Fresh blood spurted from the four deep scratches in my left arm. "That's painful." I said, inspecting my arm. The metallic smell of blood caused me to grin. "Ah. This is what I wanted."

"You-you." Aphrodite was incapable of coherent speech, her anger reducing her to her basic instincts. "Die mortal!" She screeched, launching a jump kick at my forehead. With her ten-inch heels and monstrous strength, such an attack would have been like getting shot with a sniper bullet.

I ducked, dodging the kick. Aphrodite however, continued forward, punching through my door and into my room, landing on the bed.

Just as planned.

Suddenly, my subordinates, who had been hidden in my room, sprang into action. With incredible speed, they threw a net over Aphrodite. The net, based upon the one made by Hephaestus in Legends, had countless anti-divinity runes woven into it. Any Deity, no matter how powerful, would be rendered powerless in the net.

"Go fish." I said, laughing at my own joke. In front of me, Aphrodite was violently struggling against the bonds. But the runes were doing their work. I could see her struggles slowly becoming weaker as the runes sapped her divinity away.

I smiled, reaching behind my back and drawing out another weapon. My _wakazashi_.

"Now then, time to put you out of your misery." I said, walking towards Aphrodite. I could see her staring at my blade, sensing its disgusting aura, feelings its insatiable bloodlust. Kind of like me actually.

I was about one meter away from Aphrodite when the first slug hit me in the chest. As I stumbled backwards, I felt a dozen more impacts all over my body.

"Not again." I muttered, feeling the haze return

Then I blacked out.

* * *

**Well then. Part two is here. The sudden conclusion to the introduction. Wonder what happens next? Well too bad! The next perspective is Percy's, not Samael's. Let's see how Camp Half-Blood takes the sudden kidnapping of Aphrodite. **

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it!**

**Daemon**


	3. Chapter 3

Every time a beach popped up in my dreams, I knew it wasn't a good sign. Demigods' dreams were rarely 'just dreams'. They were messages, signs pointing towards some large event in their future.

And for me, whenever a beach appeared, I knew it meant something big. Interestingly enough, it was a rather pleasant beach. A tropical paradise even. I half expected Hawaiian music to begin playing.

"Uhhh." I said. "Hello?"

As if answering my question, the sea begun to churn. Foam, heavy and thick, begun to appear on the water's surface.

From the center of this foam, I saw something simmer under the water. With a splash, a gigantic shell exploded from the sea's surface. As I watched, my mouth agape, the shell slowly opened.

In the center of the shell, a naked woman stood. I, upon seeing her, immediately gasped.

"Aphrodite!?" The Goddess looked at me, a sad smile on her face. "What-what are you doing here?"

Aphrodite opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden roar drained out her words. Suddenly, the sky turned black. A powerful wind begun to blow, so strong that even I was forced to step back. Aphrodite looked to the sky, fear evident on her face.

Suddenly, the storm clouds parted. A ray of white light struck Aphrodite, illuminating her entire body. In the light, I could see the shadow of an…angel?

Before I could see anything else, the white light intensified, and my vision went white.

"Per-cy." That voice…Tyson? I blinked, rubbing my eyes, to find Tyson's single eye staring back at me. "Percy!"

"Morning Tyson." I mumbled, stretching my arms. "What's up?"

"Chiron called you Percy." Tyson said, moving away from my bed to let me up. "He said it was important."

I yawned and scratched my head. "How important?"

"Important enough that I'm here to drag you there." I nearly yelped upon hearing Annabeth's voice. "Morning Seaweed brain." Annabeth gave me a smile. "Nice bedhair."

I immediately combed my fingers through my hair, trying to flatten it. Annabeth, seeing my futile attempts, laughed. "Don't bother. You look fine."

I smiled at her before standing up and stretching again. "So, what does Chiron want to talk about?" I watched as Annabeth's face turned hard. She begun to bite her lip, a trait she only did when she was nervous. "Is it that bad?"

"I think it's better if you hear it from him." Annabeth replied, standing up. "Come on Percy."

"Lady Aphrodite has disappeared." Chiron announced to the demigods. "We don't know how. We don't know whom. We don't know why. All we know is that around twelve hours ago, she disappeared from a club in Paris."

"Wait, how do we know she's been kidnapped?" One of the demigods, Hansel, asked. "She may have just found a man or something." Seeing the Children of Aphrodite glaring at him, Hansel held his hands up in defense. "What? It's possible."

"I agree." Chiron said. "It is possible that Lady Aphrodite may have found a partner. However, no one has been able to contact or locate her. Even if she had found a partner, she would have left some trace of where she is. But no one can sense her presence anywhere. Not even Artemis."

I felt my palms begin to sweat. Aphrodite's disappearance and my dream were obviously connected. But how? I tried to focus on my dream, trying to remember details.

"Percy?" Chiron's voice shook me out of my trance. "You look troubled."

"No. It's just…" I explained to the demigods about my dream. Chiron's eyes widened upon hearing my description.

"A shell rising out of the sea…" Annabeth muttered. "That sounds like _The Birth of Venus _by Sandro Botticelli."

"Indeed. The similarities cannot be coincidental. But the shadow you saw…" Chiron looked at Percy, his eyes heavy. "Are you certain that you saw an Angel?" I nodded.

"Positive. I saw the shadow of an Angel. It was like it was descending from Heaven." Maybe it was my imagination, but Chiron's shoulders seemed to slump.

"Then the situation is far worse then I originally thought. This must report this to Olympus immediately." Chiron stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the remaining campers to sit on this new development.

Annabeth and I looked at each other, the same question sitting on the edge of our tongues.

"What in Olympus is going on?"

* * *

**The Demigods are getting restless. **

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	4. Chapter 4

"Owww." I muttered, rubbing my head and groaning. "Where am I?"

"Welcome back Leader." Cassian said, appearing in my spherical vision. "We're in the Western Branch, under the care of Gabriel and the Reverse Cross."

"Eh?" I tilted my head, still slightly confused. "The Eastern Branch? Reverse Cross? Why am I here?"

"We flew here after Paris." Cassian patiently explained. "After I shot you with elephant tranquilizer."

Upon hearing 'elephant tranquilizer' my eyes widened. "Oh! Now I re-Shit!" I swore suddenly, remembering what had happened that night. "Crap. I lost control didn't I."

Cassian nodded. I groaned.

"Fuck. Did I kill anyone?" Cassian shook his head. Relief flooded through my body.

"You almost killed Aphrodite, but we managed to tranquilize you before that." I winced at the memory.

"Fifteen shots? Was that really necessary?" Cassian shrugged, a small smile on his face.

"Better safe then sorry." I laughed.

"That's true! Anyways, good work. Save for my little episode, I'm guessing it was a success?" Cassian nodded.

"The Goddess is currently being prepared. Would you like to see her?" I shook my head. "How about breakfast?" As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. Cassian and I looked at each other, before bursting out laughing.

"Well I guess that answers your question!" I said, between laughs. Cassian nodded, a large smile on his face.

"I'll-" Cassian snorted. "-get you breakfast. Please, rest a while." I nodded. Cassian stood up and gave a small bow, before leaving the room.

"…Voice are you there?" The moment Cassian left the room, my smile had disappeared, to be replaced with a grimace.

_Sup? You feeling ok? _The Voice asked, genuine concern in its tone. _Fifteen elephant tranquillizers are a bit much; specially considering you hadn't even fully awakened yet. _

"Yeah don't remind me. I still have a bleeding headache." I muttered. There was something I hadn't mentioned to Cassian. Something very important.

During my fight with Aphrodite, I had temporarily regained my original powers and personality. While the tranquilizers had forced him back down, the fact he had awakened could not be changed. Before, his presence had buried deep inside my psych, far below the fog.

Now, I could feel him standing behind the fog, waiting for his moment to take over.

"The path to dominion is clear. All that remains is the guardian." I muttered.

_Indeed. _The voice agreed. _Though, I wonder why you don't just accept him. _

"Because it's too dangerous. If he gains control, no one would be safe. Even Michael wouldn't be able to stop him." I reached for the pills on the table. "I'll need to take quadruple the dosage now. And even that may not be enough to keep him at bay."

I fall silent, my mind contemplating my possible options. Eventually, only one comes to mind.

"I need to fight him again. Voice, can you prepare the Warground?"

_Are you sure? You just recovered._

"I don't have a choice. Please prepare it."

The Voice is silent for a dozen heartbeats.

_I don't envy you. _The Voice finally said, pity evident in its tone. _You walk a bloody and thankless path Samae- no Daemon._

I smiled, a tight smile completely devoid of mirth. Lying down on the bed, I closed my eyes. As I felt myself drift to sleep, I managed to mumble a reply.

"I know Voice. I know."

I know I'm dreaming because I recognise the place. It is both day and night here, for when I look to the sky I see both the sun and the moon, sharing a sky that is one half black and one half white. Around me, a plain stretches as far as the eye can see. Hundreds of swords are stabbed into the ground. As I watched, a battle seemed to materialize before me. Warriors ran at each other, their swords flashing. Blood spilled from their wounds, dying the ground red. And in an instant, they were gone. An illusion created by this wretched place.

I know this place very well.

"The Eternal Warground." A familiar voice speaks from behind me. "It's been a long time since we last met here Daemon."

"Not long enough." I replied, turning around. A man stands before me. Grayish-silver hair, angular features, a smile on his face and two eyes of very different colors. "Hello Samael."

Samael grinned and motioned for me to come closer. "Walk with me Daemon."

"No thank you." I replied, looking around. "Let's get this over with." Samael shrugged.

"Suit yourself." Samael looked at me for a moment, as if waiting for me to make a move. After about a minute of silence, he spoke again. "Shall we begin then?"

I nodded in response.

In the space between us, a figure emerged. He was dressed in white, with the appearance of a twenty-year-old man. In each hand, he held a flag. The one on Samael's side was Black. The one on mine was white.

The Voice looked at the two of us, before raising the flags. "I hereby announce the beginning of the Fourth Succession Battle. Daemon and Samael, do you agree to fight with all your strength?"

"I agree." Samael said, pulling one of the many swords out from the ground. "In my name, I will wage this battle."

"I agree." I replied, echoing Samael's movements and drawing one of the countless swords. "In my name, I will wage this battle."

The Voice nodded. "The Lord has blessed this battle. May the Strongest one win!" With that, the Voice swung his flags down, signaling the start of the contest.

Samael and I leap forward. In an instant, we are less then a meter from each other. Samael's blade cuts downwards, while mine slashes upwards.

The moment our blades connect, the very sky splits open.

"Ah!' I screamed, shooting upwards. My body is slick with sweat, my breathing erratic and heavy. "I-I'm alive." I gasped, looking at my hands. My head feels feverish. "I'm alive!"

_You won by a hairbreadth. _The Voice said. _He's gotten stronger. Had you been any slower, he would have skewered you._

When I closed my eyes, I could see flashes of the epic battle that I had just participated in. My blade and his, clashing and breaking apart, cutting each other's flesh and drawing blood. The plain beneath us, stained crimson. And the final exchange, when I slashed him across the chest a moment before he-

I placed my hand over my chest, checking to make sure there was no wound. I remembered the sensation of the blade plunging into my chest, the blood flowing out, and the pain of-

_Don't dwell on it. _The Voice said gently. _You won. He's been defeated. Rest in peace, knowing that he is not a threat. _

"For now." I muttered darkly. "I didn't kill him. I only forced him deeper into my mind. He'll be back."

_And you'll face him again when the time comes. _The Voice was soothing. _Now Daemon, rest your body and mind. You've had a long day- _

Whatever the Voice said at the end, I didn't hear it, as I'd already fallen asleep.

* * *

**Seems like our little "hero" Daemon/Samael is a bit more messed up in the head then we thought, eh? Wonder what's his problem. :D**

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	5. Chapter 5

Upon seeing the image, I felt sickened. Next to me, Annabeth was clutching my hand tightly, her body visibly shaking. Looking around me, I could see the campers with similar expressions on their faces. A number of the Aphrodite kids had just flat out fainted, while the still conscious ones were in shock.

"Every news channel in the world is showing this image." Chiron said quietly. "At least now we know where she went."

I looked at the image again. It showed what appeared to be a cross in the center of Times Square. Chained to the cross was the unconscious form of Aphrodite. While she was clothed, a large amount of her skin was visible. On every inch of exposed skin, sigils had been drawn. While I couldn't read the sigils, I could feel their power. They were runes of binding, of sealing and restraint.

Suddenly, a bolt of lighting crashed before the cross. I could hear mortals screaming as figures stepped out of the smoke. I watched as the Olympians moved to dismantle the cross and rescue Aphrodite. Ares was the first one to reach the cross. As he reached over however, he suddenly gave a yell and pulled his hand back.

Both Apollo and Poseidon, upon touching the cross, also reacted the same way as Ares.

"Impossible…the cross." Next to me, I heard Annabeth murmur. "Is it made of that?"

"That?" Annabeth nodded her head. "Annabeth, what's that?"

"It's…Damascus Steel." I raised an eyebrow.

"Damascus Steel? Is that like Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold?" Annabeth shook her head.

"It's much more dangerous then that. Damascus Steel was created long after Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold. It's named after Damocles of Legend."

"Damascus?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Hey, I'm not the smartest person on the block. You are."

Annabeth scoffed softly. "Glad you know that Seaweed Brain. Anyways, Damocles was a king. A powerful and great ruler, Damocles was famous for his humility. The source of this humility was said to be the sword that hung above his head, known as the Sword of Damocles. Legend has it that Damocles hung this blade above his head to remind himself that even as a King, he was still mortal and could die at any moment. Damocles Steel was named after him due to its special attribute. The steel causes all that touch it to become mortal. In other words, it drains Divinity."

"Drains Divinity?" My eyes widened. "But that means-"

"Yes. Damocles Steel is an Anti-God weapon." Annabeth murmured. "And the only people who could create Damascus Steel are those who inherited his will." Annabeth's grey eyes met my blue ones. "The Will of Damocles is kept in the Vatican Vaults. Our enemy is the Church and their billions of followers."

The Church. I felt my strength leave me. I had fought Kronos. I had fought Gaia. In both fights, I had fought not just for my friends, but also for the fate of the world.

But this enemy was different. The Church had, spread out among their numerous factions, over two billion believers. Two billion _mortal _believers. To fight them would be to fight against nearly one third of the world's population. I could kill monsters, but to kill humans? The mere thought made me sick in the stomach.

"I…can't." I said. "I can't do this." The sheer magnitude of my enemy made me sick in the stomach. "I can't fight mortals."

Around me, I could see the other demigods struggling with this revelation. Battle hardened as they were; fighting against mortals went against everything they were ever taught.

Even Chiron was silent, with no words of wisdom to console his students.

It was when moral was at its lowest that things got weird.

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Sup mothertruckers!" A voice shouted. "Seems like you're in a bind eh? Well luckily, you've got this old man to help you out!"

* * *

**Weird old man alert. And yes, he did say "Mothertruckers"**

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	6. Chapter 6

"Fuck." I moaned upon hearing the report. "You can't be serious."

I was seated in Gabriel's office. Opposite me, Gabriel sat at her desk, nervously chewing her lip.

Gabriel nodded. "Unfortunately, I am."

"How did he escape?" I asked, clutching my head. Ever since the Succession battle, my headaches had increased in both number and intensity. And no amount of meds was helping. "I thought he was under 24 hour guard!"

"He was." Gabriel sighed. "But I suppose after two thousand years, you have some tricks up your sleeve."

"Arrrghhhh." I groaned, half in annoyance and half from the splitting headache. "How can we lose him now? Central's going to kill us!"

Prisoner 1. He had been captured and imprisoned even before the creation of the Church. It was said that he lived during the time of the Savior himself, and had even interacted with him.

His identity and the reason behind his incarceration was a secret known only to a select few, including myself.

"If he's out there, there is no telling the amount of havoc he could wreck on our plans." Gabriel bit her fingernails. "My Exorcists are tracking him, but he's a wily old bastard."

"I'll have Cassian get Witch Hunt to assist you." I muttered, wincing as a bolt of pain ran through my head. "Damn that hurts."

Gabriel leaned over and touched my forehead. Her hand came back covered in my sweat. "You're feverish. Have you seen Raphael?" I shook my head, gritting my teeth as more pain laced through my head. "You should. You look awful."

"Thanks." I said, trying to smile. "I'll try to visit a beautician before I leave. Can't show up to the doctors looking like crap." Gabriel laughed.

"I'm sure Raphael wouldn't mind if you turned up looking like a skeleton and smelling like dog poop. You know she has the hots for you right?"

"That's what everyone says, but I seriously don't see it." Gabriel rolled her eyes.

"Have you ever been called dense before? Because you really are. Read the signs Samael!" I grinned lopsidedly.

"Seeya Gabriel." Gabriel sighed and shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"Seeya rockhead." I quietly stepped out and closed the door.

I barely took three steps before collapsing to my knees. My breathing was labored and heavy. Sweat was pouring freely from my pores. The ground in front of me was starting to shift and blur. Feelings of vertigo were causing my body to shake like a leaf in autumn.

And the pain. My head felt like someone was trying to tear him or herself out from it.

_Shit. _The Voice spoke in my head. _This isn't good._

"He-he shouldn't be this strong." I gasped. "Normally-it takes him months to recover."

Less then three days had passed since the Succession Battle and I was already fighting for control.

_Breath! _The Voice said urgently. _Try to calm down. And whatever you do, do not fall unconscious! He's trying to summon you back to the Warground! _

"Can't-" I wheezed. "Can't breath."

_Stay with me Daemon! _The Voice was slowly growing weaker. _Damn it! Don't do this! You won't survive another figh-_

At that moment, I blacked out.

"Hello Daemon." I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the ground. Above me, the familiar struggle of Light and Darkness was playing in the sky above me. "Fancy seeing you so soon."

Samael's face appeared in my spherical vision, a mocking smile on his face. "You look like absolute shit by the way."

"Fu-fuck you." I gasped. While my body was no longer racked with pain, the mere memory caused me to shudder. "Ho-how are you still able to move? You should have been immobilized for months."

Samael laughed. "Maybe you aren't as strong as you _think _Daemon." He reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. I swayed, unsteady. "Anyways, I challenge you to the Fifth Succession Battle."

Before I could answer, the Voice manifested itself behind Samael.

"Samael, please reconsider."

Samael turned to face the Voice. "Reconsider? Why?" The Voice pointed at me.

"Daemon is, as you can see, still exhausted from your previous battle-"

"So? Not my problem." Samael pointed at the sky. Now that I looked at it carefully, it seemed as if it was more Night then Day now. "The Succession Battles were designed by the Big Boss when I was sealed in Daemon. It's in our contract that either one of us can announce a Succession Battle whenever we want, regardless of the personal circumstances of either combatant."

The Voice was about to say something, but I put my arm on his shoulder.

"He-he's correct." I gasped, taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain some strength. "If Samael challenges me to a Succession Battle, I have no choice but to accept. Denying the challenge is the same of losing the Battle."

"But-" The Voice was about to protest, but I cut him off with a wave of my arm.

"It's the Agreement. Times, it's not like this shitty Angel can possibly beat me anyways." I said, trying to put up a brave front. "I accept your challenge."

The Voice looked at me, worry etched on his face. I smiled at him.

"Don't look so worried Voice. You've helped me out a lot." I turned to face Samael, who was smiling. "Though Samael, I would have appreciated it if you stopped using the Voice to coerce me into accepting you."

Samael smile, upon hearing the accusation, grew wider. "You noticed?"

"You weren't exactly being subtle. _Kill all fluffy things? _Charmspeak? That just screamed you." Looking at the Voice's confused expression, I laughed. "Don't worry if you didn't notice. You're a mash-up of both my and Samael's psych, designed to be the bridge between the two of us. I always thought my influence was stronger, but apparently not." I turned to face Samael. "I suppose that's what I get for ignoring you for three years."

"Indeed. Three years without a Succession Battle? Naturally my powers would grow to the point where I could temporarily take control of the Voice." Samael laughed. "I have to admit though, it resisted. I could only somewhat control its speech, but not its loyalty. It genuinely wanted you to remain in control."

"Not surprising, considering how much of an asshole you are."

"Daemon-" The Voice tried to speak, to apologize to me. I smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"No need to apologize. Samael's a cunning little piece of shit. Anyone would have been controlled by his powers. Which is why I can't let him win." The banter that Samael and I had exchanged had given me time to rest. While I was definitely not at one hundred percent, I was certainly a lot better then a few minutes ago. Reaching over, I pulled one of the swords out from the ground.

"In my name, I will wage this battle." I muttered, pointing my blade at Samael's throat. "I swear this won't end till one of us is dead!"

* * *

**Wonder who's going to win...even I'm not completly sure. It'd be pretty interesting to throw a wild card like Samael into the fray...no promises though.**

**Fave and review if you enjoyed it!**

**Daemon**


	7. Chapter 7

I had to admit, this old man, despite being eccentric and suspicious as Hades, was surprisingly charismatic.

"Damocles Steel eh?" The old man said, chugging from a hip flask. "I remember when wee Damocles was a child. He wasn't full of humility at all, that spoiled brat!" Around him, curious campers sat, listening to his stories. It was like watching an old grandfather telling tales to his grandkids.

And by grandfather, I mean great-great-great-great grandfather. This man was _old_.

Wizened, with gray hair and eyebrows, you could have told me he was Father Time himself and I would have believed you. The only thing that betrayed his senile old man appearance was his eyes. They seemed to glow with life, making me wonder just how old this man was.

Or whether he was even human.

Next to me, I could tell Annabeth was having the same thoughts. "An old man just so happens to appear when we're feeling hopeless." Annabeth muttered. "This is not a coincidence."

"Correct!" The Old man suddenly pointed at Annabeth. "Good deduction, Child of Athena. Me being here is not a coincidence. I escaped from Hell itself to get here."

"Hell?" The old man nodded.

"Yes Son of Poseidon. Hell. The Church's most heavily guarded prison, reserved for those who venomously oppose their will." The old man smiled. "It was fate that I managed to escape and make it here."

"…He sounds crazy." Annabeth mumbled into my ear.

"I heard that." The old man said, chewing on a piece of pizza. "Won't deny it though. Two thousand odd years in prison would make anyone crazy."

"Two thousand?!" I couldn't help but blurt it out. "Are you serious?"

Deadly serious young'un." The old man replied, his eyes flashing. "I was born before the birth of the Savior himself. I met him actually. He saved me." The old man's eyes turn distant, lost in his memories.

"The Savior?" I asked Annabeth. To my surprise however, a look of shock was on her face. "Annabeth! Who's the Savior?"

Annabeth turned to me, a look of shock on her face. "The Savior…if he's truly two thousand years old, there's only one person that I can think of."

When she said who it was, I felt my jaw drop. "Can you repeat that please?" I stuttered, not sure if I heard right. Annabeth took a deep breath, before repeating the shocking revelation that chilled me to the core.

"Jesus of Nazareth, born roughly two thousand years ago, and is considered by many to be the Savior of Humanity."

* * *

**Yes, the Greek chapters have't been all that interesting...though I promise they will get interesting very soon. (Next few chapters or so.) It's cause I need to further develop the OCs before I can actually have the two parties interact.**

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	8. Chapter 8

When I open my eyes, I realize I'm drowning. All around me is a greenish liquid. Immediately, I start to panic, only to realize my body is not responding to my commands. When I tried to move my arms, nothing happened.

I also realized that despite being suspended in liquid, I could breath just fine.

_Donk. _A knocking sound directed my attention in front of me. Through the liquid, I could see Raphael's worried face.

It was then I realized that I was inside a gigantic glass tube.

"Can you hear me?" Raphael's voice echoed through the liquid. It felt as if I was underwater, and she was speaking from above the surface. "Blink once for yes. Twice for no."

_Blink. _

"Do you know who I am?"

_Blink._

"Are you aware of your current state?"

_Blink blink._

I saw Raphael sigh.

"Daemon." The moment I heard her use my real name, I knew whatever she was about to say, I wasn't going to like it.

"Before I go into detail about what happened, I need you to understand. We found you unconscious outside Gabriel's office. By the time I arrived at the Western Branch, your aura had already begun to change."

Oh shit. I racked my brain, trying to remember the duel. Had I lost against Samael?

Raphael, seeing my eyes widen slightly, smiled bitterly. "Yes, you lost the Succession Duel. When we brought you here, your hair was growing lighter and your eyes were changing color."

Shit. I had lost after all. But that didn't make sense. If I had lost, why the hell was I still in control of my body?

Raphael looked me in the eye. "Daemon, are you sure you want me to continue?"

_Blink_.

Raphael, after a moment's hesitation, motioned to a person behind her. "Show him."

Suddenly, Raphael disappeared, to be replaced with…

It took me a moment to realize that I was staring at my own reflection.

An abomination stared back at me. The majority of my body was covered in a mix of electrodes and sensors. In both my arms, numerous tubes had been inserted. I recognized a number of the tubes as being those used for dialysis.

What horrified me however, were not the medical appliances that had been implanted into me without my permission. No, it was the metal stakes that had been rammed into my arms, legs, chest and stomach. I recognized the power pulsating from the metal, the anti-Divinity attribute.

Damocles Steel.

Suddenly, my reflection vanished, replaced with Raphael's sad face.

"I'm sorry Daemon." Raphael murmured, tears in her eyes. "It was the only way I could save you. Please, forgive me."

I wasn't mad at all. The Damocles Steel was the only thing stopping Samael from taking over my body. Their anti-Divinity power, injected directly into my body, was the ultimate defense against Samael's power. Raphael's decision had not just saved me, but the entire world.

Looking Raphael in the eye, I blinked once.

* * *

**Told you there would be a plot twist! Not what you expected I bet. Daemon lost, but Samael didn't win either...but the Church just lost a powerhouse. Though don't write off Daemon/Samael just yet. They'll come back, that's a given. The question is, what kind of person will Daemon/Samael be when he returns?**

**Review and Fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	9. Chapter 9

"Well children." The old man said, grinning like a maniac. "That seemed to get your attention."

"Jesus of Nazareth." Chiron said. The old centaur shuddered. "And you claim to have once known him?"

"Correct." The old man laughed. "Like I said, I met him once. Even traded a few words. Let me tell you, that dusty old book doesn't do him justice."

"Did he just call the Bible a 'dusty old book'?" I heard one of the campers mutter to his friend.

"That I did, boya!" The old man smacked his leg and begun to laugh. Damn, he had amazing hearing for an old dude. "Those dusty old scholars weren't even alive during the events! How would they know what really happened? Let me tell you, he di-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your story, but I have a question." Annabeth walked towards the old man, stopping about a meter in front of him. "How do we know we can trust you? You just waltz into our Camp, which by the way, is warded against mortal influence, and claim to be a two thousand year old man who knew Jesus of Nazareth. Then you claim that you're here to help us fight against the Church. Yet at the same time we know that you're an escapee from the Church's equivalent of a Supermax prison." Even I had to admit that Annabeth had a point. Judging from the murmurs from the other campers, they had the same reservations as I did.

"…" The old man was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. "Indeed! You truly are Athena's daughter! Oh, how I wish I had met you under different circumstances!"

"…eh?" For the first time ever, I saw Annabeth completely gob smacked. She had probably expected the old man to react in many different ways, but definitely not like this.

"Ohoho." The old man wiped a tear with his left hand. "I haven't laughed this hard in centuries! Anyways, I'm sure you want evidence to back up my claims, correct?" Annabeth nodded. "Well, I don't have any-"

Wow…Is this guy messing with us or what? I could sense Annabeth barely restraining her urge to stab him. If he going on like this, I might help her.

"-on me." The old man finished. "Though, I do have some useful information." The old man raised a single finger. "First, an army led by a very dangerous person is currently moving towards this camp. You guys had better either A) Prepare for battle against a force of both mortals and…well non-humans. Or B) Run like hell. Actually, scratch plan B. If that monster brings his sword, you're all fu-"

"Wait, an army?" Annabeth asked. As usual, she immediately recognized the most important bit.

"Well I say army, but a single branch is about the size of a legion, which would be about…five thousand men?" The old man counted on one hand. "Yes, about five thousand or so troops."

"A legion?" I asked, flashing back to Camp Jupiter. "Isn't that a Roman term?"

"I told you, I was born around two thousand years ago. In another life, I was a solider." The old man said simply. "But that isn't important. What's important is that the the Northern Branch is about to descend on your camp. And if you guys don't do anything, they're going to slaughter you."

* * *

**Well now it gets interesting. The Greeks have an enemy to fight. Not just enemy mind you. An army of mortals. Wonder how they'll fare, seeing as Celestial Bronze doesn't affect Mortals. Will it even effect Michael, seeing as he doesn't fit into the Greek Pantheon?**

**Well, we'll find out won't we?**

**Review and fave if you enjoyed it!**

**Daemon**


	10. Chapter 10

I have to admit; it was quite boring just floating around in a tank all day. Especially since I couldn't move my body.

About three hours ago, I had had this awful itch on my back, but I couldn't scratch it.

It had been the most agonizing twenty minutes of my life, waiting for the itch to disappear.

My boredom had gotten so bad that I had actually started missing the Voice. Though, with the Damocles Steel embedded in my body, it was very unlikely I'd hear it anytime soon.

Sometimes, Raphael or Gabriel would come and talk with me, telling me stories about their preparations for the war or some other thing. After a while, they'd be called away, but not before promising to come back to talk with me soon.

It was so mind-numbingly dull I wanted to cry. While I was happy that they took the time to actually talk to me, listening to them talk all the time was just so…tedious.

Michael hadn't visited yet, but apparently he was in the middle of another part of the War. Not that him visiting was something I wanted. He'd probably spend the entire time laughing at me.

Cassian was the only one whose visits I actually looked forward to. He would come over, make a bit of casual conversation, before updating me on the happenings back at Witch Hunt. He'd then proceed to request my permission for a number of orders to be relayed back to Witch Hunt.

In other words, he actually gave me something to do other then to mentally twiddle my thumbs. I couldn't even access the Internet damn it!

A knock on the glass woke me out of my self-pity. Looking up, I saw Gabriel wave at me.

"You doing ok?"

_Blink._

"That's good. I just came by to update you. We managed to track down Prisoner 1." I mentally smiled, knowing full well that it wouldn't affect my physical body in any way. "Interestingly enough, it turns out he ran to the Greek Camp, which Michael is about to attack."

Oh the irony. Out of the pot and straight into the fire. Gabriel, as if reading my mind, smiled.

"I'm sure you're thinking something like 'Out of the pot and straight into the fire'." Wow, she's good. "Anyways, I hope you don't mind, but I need to borrow some of your SWT. To be exact, Division 3."

I didn't answer immediately, as I was surprised at Gabriel's knowledge. My "Special Warfare Troops weren't exactly public knowledge. Even amongst my fellow Branch heads, only Michael knew of their existence. And even he didn't know the Division numbers and specialties. Gabriel had just requested the support of Division 3 of the SWT, or as I liked to call them, Baskerville.

My special hunter-killer unit, trained specifically to locate their targets anywhere on the planet, and kill them without leaving a corpse. They weren't the nicest unit I had at my disposal, but definitely amongst the most effective.

God knows why she needs them. I thought to myself, blinking once.

"Thanks Daemon!" Gabriel said, smiling sweetly. "I owe you one!"

Just don't ever talk about your love life again. I begged silently, wishing I could use telepathy. Then we'll call it even.

* * *

**Short and sweet chapters are a lot more easier for me. Though I will upload a bunch of them at a time. **  
**Review and fave if you enjoyed it!**  
**Daemon**


	11. Chapter 11

Despite our suspicions at the truth in the old man's words, they were quickly rendered moot by the first explosion.

"What was-" One of the campers said, before another explosion rocked the building. A camper at the window suddenly cried out in alarm.

"They're attacking the cabins!" Immediately, I was on my feet, Riptide in my hand. Campers were streaming out the cabin, screaming battle cries and raising their weapons.

Before I could follow them, Annabeth tackled me to the ground. I struggled against her grip.

"Let-me-go!" Annabeth only held on tighter.

"Calm down Percy-" Suddenly, I hear multiple cracks. Screams of horror and pain vibrate through the room. "What was-"

"No!" Chiron roared, anger evident on his face. Grabbing his bow and arrows, he rushed out the door.

I heard another round of cracks. This time however, instead of screams, I hear moans of agony.

"It-it hurts!"

"Ple-please stop!"

"I-I don't want to die! Please don-"

Another crack follows, and the moans go silent. From outside, I hear a voice I don't recognize.

"My liege, we've eliminated all enemy combatants. Within buildings three through eight however, we found a number of non-combatants. What should we do with them?"

"Eliminate them." A second voice said. It was devoid of emotion, yet at the same time ridiculous charisma radiated from it. "Any enemies of ours, combatant or not, will be treated the same."

"Understood my liege! It will be done!"

Neither Annabeth nor me thought about our actions. All we knew was that whoever gave that order had to die. As we burst through the door, Riptide and Annabeth's knife both slashed at the man standing outside.

Suddenly, I felt my blade hit something. A powerful vibration travelled through my arms, nearly making me drop my sword. Next to me, I could see Annabeth wince as a similar effect ran through her arms.

"Hmm. Some of them survived." The emotionless voice spoke. Suddenly, I felt myself flying in the air.

As I landed on the ground, Annabeth landed on top of me, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

"Sorry Per-"

"Look out!" I cried, grabbing Annabeth and rolling to the side. A shadow had alerted me to an attack. Just as we rolled out of the way, a sword stabbed the ground where my head had just been.

"You two are not without skill." The voice said. "But is running truly all you can do?"

My answer was to quickly stand up and swing Riptide at him. The possessor of the voice effortlessly parried my strike, sending another fierce vibration through my arm.

"Much better." The voice said, sounding content. "A warrior should never run from a battle."

I looked my opponent in the eye. This was the first time I had gotten a good look at him.

If you had asked me, I would have said he was one of Apollo's kids. Handsome, with perfect white teeth and beautiful eyes, he wouldn't have looked out of place as an Abercrombie Mode. Unlike Apollo's kids however, this man's eyes were full of violence. Instead of a flirty smile, it was one of bloodlust.

With the appearance of Apollo and the presence of Ares, there was only one word that came to my head when I saw him.

Warlord.

"Nice to meet you." The man said, smiling at me. In his right hand, he held a two-handed claymore. His left hand was in his pocket. "My name is Michael. What's yours, Demigod?"

* * *

**Finally we have some action on Percy's side! Michael has finally made an ****appearance****, and there is an actual description of what he looks like! Look forward to the (chapter after next) for the continuation of Percy and Michael's meeting.**

**Review and favorite if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	12. Chapter 12

I want fish.

Yes, I'm aware that thanks to the tubes in my arm, I don't need to eat.

But I'm craving fish regardless.

A big juicy fish.

I don't even like fish that much, but I guess being suspended in liquid might be the cause.

Is this what they call "wearing someone else's shoes?"

…

"FUCK I'M GOING INSANE!" I roared. Or at least, I tried to roar. The anesthetic meant that I couldn't actually move my mouth, so maybe a few extra bubbles came out. Other then that, nothing much really happened.

…

I really am bored.

"I wonder what Michael's doing." I asked myself. As usual, nothing really happened, save for a couple of bubbles.

* * *

**I'm not quite sure why I wrote this...ah well.**

**Review and fave if you enjoyed this.**

**Daemon**


	13. Chapter 13

"Percy Jackson." I replied. Michael's charisma was ridiculous. I felt an urge not just to answer his questions, but also to fall onto my knees and swear sovereignty to him.

"Ah!" Michael's eyes glowed in surprise. "So you're the legendary Percy Jackson! It's an honor to meet you!"

"No it's mine, mi'l-" At the last moment, I managed to stop myself from addressing him as my superior.

"Oh? You managed to resist." Michael's eyes danced with amusement. "Though I can't say the same for your companion."

I risked a glance to my side. What I saw nearly made my jaw drop.

Annabeth was on her knees, her head bowed. I could see her legs shaking as she tried to move, but her body ignored her.

I felt rage pulse through my body. Any control Michael's presence had over me was gone. I only had one objective.

To hurt him.

"MIIIICHAEEELLLLL!" I roared, my blade swinging towards his head.

"Huh." Michael swayed backwards, dodging my clumsy swing with ease. "Impressive. There was no hesitation in that swing of yours."

I followed up with a combo of slashes and stabs, a mix of Greek and Roman sword techniques. Any regular foe would have been defeated instantly, unable to defend against such an unorthodox combat method.

Michael however, effortlessly ducked and weaved his way through the storm of attacks. He was like a sailboat, smoothly navigating a typhoon.

"Hmm. Greek and Roman swordsmanship…seems like our intelligence was correct. You really did attend both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter." Michael murmured, sidestepping another one of my slashes. "Your lack of hesitation in your movements shows that you've been through many battles. Unfortunately-"

Something caught my foot, breaking my rhythm and sending me sprawling to the ground. I landed on something soft.

"-Your attacks have no killing intent, only anger. This dulls your movements, making it easy to predict and read." A blade stabbed itself on the left side of my head, inches from my neck. "If you really want to kill me, seal your emotions first."

I turn my head, feeling the cold steel on my throat. Something warm is flowing on my neck.

I place my finger on my neck. It comes back red.

Blood.

But it isn't mine.

I look down at what I landed on. It was soft, unlike the hard floor that I had previously landed on…

An orange Camp-Halfblood Shirt. With three holes in the center. Blood is pouring from the holes, staining the orange fabric.

"Your comrades." Michael said simply. "They tried to fight. But when the guns were used, they immediately began running. It was sad, having to shoot them in the back. They should have at least kept charging towards me, and faced death like a true war-"

I'm no longer listening. All I care about is killing this man.

This time, when I swing my sword, Michael parries. A shockwave of wind and fire exploded from the contact.

"Oh? To think my blade would react to you!" Michael's face is one of joy. "Finally, you've resolved yourself to killing me!"

Suddenly, the force behind Michael's blade quadruples. Our blades break apart as I'm sent stumbling backwards.

But I have no time to rest.

Michael's next attack is coming. I grip my blade and prepare to fight.

This time, I won't fall down.

**Oh ouch. Michael's really quite strong isn't he? That insane charisma that he ****possesses, as well as his ****ridiculous combat skills. Let's see if Percy's revenge-driven hate is enough to beat him, shall we?**

**Review and Fave if you enjoyed it.**

**Daemon**


	14. Chapter 14

I don't know what time it was when Raphael came. Ever since I was placed into the capsule, I didn't really sleep. My body was perpetually resting, so at most I slept for maybe three to four hours at a time.

Anyways, she probably came at night, as there were no technicians around to check my vitals. She also thought I was sleeping.

"Daemon." Gabriel murmured. "I need to do something."

Well great. Care to give a bit more information?

"…Anyways, see you soon."

I nearly unleashed a torrent of bubbles at this complete and utter lack of information. Of course, I wasn't physically capable of doing this, but I certainly would have if I could.

Despite her lack of information, I knew what she was planning to do. It was pretty obvious where she was planning to go.

"What a bloody fool." I spoke in my mind. "What a bloody fool."

The second clash was harder. Michael's sword was emitting such intense heat that I could feel my throat go dry with each blow. Even worse, each attack came with even more strength and ferocity.

"Come on Jackson!" Michael cried, battle lust evident on his face. "Swing that sword of yours! Fight me!"

I parried his blow, before following up with a counter stab. Michael flicks his wrist, deflecting my blade and cutting a gash on my arm. It stings, but I my grip was firm.

"Rah!" I roared, swinging with my sword. Michael's blade seems to blur, before suddenly materializing in front of him. I felt Riptide glance off Michael's blade, releasing another wave of heat.

"Is that all?!" Michael's boot caught me in the stomach, sending me stumbling backwards. "Come on! Use your powers!"

The same thought had crossed my mind before, but there was no water around our battlefield. On top of that, the heat from Michael's sword was turning our battlefield into a burning desert. I could feel dehydration sipping my strength.

Michael however, seemed to grow stronger with each exchange. My arms became leaden, my legs trembling. I could take perhaps three more blows before my body failed me.

Desperate, I attempted to disarm Michael, trying to whack his hand with the flat of my blade.

Only to feel my knuckles crack as Michael preformed the exact same technique, but faster. I dropped my sword, pain lacing through my hands and up my arms.

"Like I said, emotion kills you on the battlefield." Michael chided, twisting around and catching me in the stomach with his boot. I'm blown back five meters. "And you, my friend, have too much emotion."

My stomach is in agony, my breath all but gone. I'm face down in the dirt, but in the corner of my eye I see Michael approach, his sword's point trailing lightly on the ground. Michael stops before me and raises his blade above my head.

"Nice fighting you." Michael said. I can't see his face, but I imagine he's smiling. "Hopefully you'll fare better in the next life."

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed, unable to move under Michael's crushing pressure. "Percy!"

I tense, trying to move, but my body refuses to work. It takes all my strength just to roll over.

"Futile." Michael smirked, his eyes looking directly into mine. "Goodbye, Percy Jack-"

A silver streak soared towards Michael. Instinctively, Michael slashes upwards, cutting the arrow in half.

"Hmm?" Another three arrows fly towards Michael, only to be cut down in quick succession.

A chorus of _twangs_, followed by cries of pain. Around Percy, Michael's troops collapsed to the ground, silver arrows protruding from their bodies.

"Oh." Michael looks around, unperturbed by the death of his allies. "Hunters."

**Finished the last book...all I can say is...I have mixed feelings. **

**Fave and Review if you enjoyed it!**

**Daemon**


End file.
